The occasion is a fund-raiser for the Ferndale Firefighters Goodfellows, which helps kids each year with new clothes and toys at the holidays, said Ferndale Mayor Craig Covey.

"We're going to double what they can give away this year," Covey said Wednesday.

But the event also is an inside joke for the mayor and two neighbors who concocted it, Monica and Larry Mills -- a wink at their wish to legalize marijuana.

Their flyer reads:"During Prohibition, illegal liquor ... made criminals rich and powerful. Police officers and the FBI were investing much time and money fighting a losing battle. Legalizing and taxing liquor offered better control and lawful jobs."